The following is part two of an updated story written for the Online Kingdom back on April 14, 2006, a few days after Los Angeles Kings left wing Luc Robitaille announced his retirement as a player. It is being re-published in honor of his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2009. To read part one on FrozenRoyalty.net, click on Luc Robitaille: The King Of Kings – Part One.

Robitaille The Leader

I’ve always admired people who were gifted with the quality of leadership, and when leadership and raw athletic ability are found together in one person, it’s a rare combination to be sure. I think that one of the things that I appreciate most about Luc is that not only does he possess this combination, but that it is manifested in him in a unique way. Luc brings a contagious passion to the rink every day and to everything he does. I found that being around that kind of passion and desire made the game even more enjoyable for me and challenged me to give to my full capacity.
— Former Kings tough guy Stu GrimsonRead more of this post

The following is an updated story written for the Online Kingdom back on April 14, 2006, a few days after Los Angeles Kings left wing Luc Robitaille announced his retirement as a player. It is being re-published in honor of Robitaille’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2009. To read part two, click on Luc Robitaille: The King Of Kings – Part Two.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Back on April 3, 1995, the night that all-time Los Angeles Kings great Dave Taylor had his jersey number 18 retired by the club, this reporter wrote that he was the King of Kings, earning that right above other all-time Kings’ greats such as Marcel Dionne, Rogie Vachon and Wayne Gretzky.

“No Kings’ player had ever measured up to Taylor when it came to heart, the desire to excel and win and the ability and willingness to go into the corners and sacrifice his body for his team,” I wrote. “No other Kings’ player has ever come close to Taylor as far as leadership—on the ice and off—is concerned, [and] no Kings’ player has ever matched his relentless work ethic, his dedication to his team, the game of hockey and his community.”

To be sure, Taylor had earned the right to wear the crown as the King of Kings, and was a great standard bearer for the organization, both on and off the ice. But on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, the day that Kings all-time great left wing Luc Robitaille announced at a press conference that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, Taylor immediately abdicated the crown because his reign is over. Robitaille now wears the crown as new Kings of Kings. Read more of this post

Taking his place on the roster will be right wing prospect Konstantin Pushkarev, who was assigned back to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate), on Friday. This will be a “paper” transaction—Pushkarev never left Los Angeles after traveling with the Kings from Edmonton.

Roenick, the future Hall-of-Famer, has had a less-than-disappointing 2005-06 season, scoring an anemic eight goals and ten assists for eighteen points with a -8 plus/minus rating in fifty games this season, a far cry from what was expected of the Kings’ number one center, who never came close to playing like one. Read more of this post

FEATURE STORY: Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mattias Norstrom talks about his time with the Dallas Stars and the difference between playing with Dallas and with the Kings; also features Kings goaltending prospect Daniel Taylor.

LOS ANGELES — In what has been a disastrous year for the Los Angeles Kings with, mercifully, just one game left in their season, here at Frozen Royalty, we thought a change of pace was in order. As such, here is a different kind of story related to the Kings, a story about a Kings fan favorite who will be returning to post-season play after a long drought with the Kings.

That player is none other than Dallas Stars veteran defenseman Mattias Norstrom, who toiled for ten years on the Kings’ blue line before he was traded to the Stars at the trade deadline last season. Read more of this post

LOS ANGELES — Loui Eriksson scored two goals, Stephane Robidas scored a goal and added two assists, and Jere Lehtinen scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Dallas Stars to an easy 7-2 blowout victory over the hapless Los Angeles Kings in front of 17,849 fans during a matinee contest at Staples Center on Saturday. Read more of this post

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